The invention relates to a vehicle, a system and a method for forwarding events.
Modern vehicles are generally equipped with communication units, so that they can retrieve services during a drive. Location-based services are playing an increasingly important role in this context. The communication can take place by way of cellular networks (for example, UMTS or LTE). However, the rising utilization of services increases the global data density, so that information will no longer arrive on time at the respective vehicle.
One use case, in which this is particularly problematic, is described in U.S. Patent Document US 2008/0183485 A1. The system explained there makes it possible for a vehicle to subscribe to defined geographical regions, so that events occurring there can be forwarded to the vehicle. Depending on the situation, an overloading of the network may easily take place here, so that the required information will not arrive at the vehicle at all or will arrive too late.
Based on U.S. Patent Document US 2008/0183485 A1, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a more efficient approach for the transmission of events to vehicles. The approach should, in particular, protect the existing bandwidths and ensure a transmission that is as timely as possible.
This object is achieved by a vehicle, a system as well as a method according to embodiments of the invention.
In particular, the object is achieved by a vehicle comprising                a communication unit for the communication with an event management server,        a navigation system for the output of at least one route,        a planning system, which is designed for        
a) retrieving a list, for a plurality of devices, particularly traffic light systems and/or signal groups of traffic light systems, the list comprising one identification respectively of the respective device and at least one position indication respectively of the respective device;
b) comparing the list with the route, in order to select at least one device from the list;
c) for the subscription of events with respect to the selected device, sending at least one subscription message to the event management server, the subscription message comprising the identifications of the selected devices.
One aspect of the present invention therefore consists of the fact that information is not retrieved within the scope of a pull technique, as in the case of previous approaches, but information, particularly events, are provided by a push technique. This is particularly advantageous in connection with traffic light systems and/or signal groups of traffic light systems.
A further aspect of the present invention consists of concretely identifying individual devices when setting up the subscription. For this purpose, it is necessary to first receive a list of existing devices in connection with position indications. The position indications can be compared with a planned route. According to the invention, subscriptions should then only be made for those events of devices that are situated on the given route or an alternative route. In the end, a selection of the events therefore takes place at the device level, in which case, however, the selection of the relevant devices does not take place on the server side but on the client side, for example, by the vehicle. It is thereby ensured that no unnecessary information has to be communicated to the server. This also has certain advantages with respect to data protection.
It is an advantage of the present invention that only those events have to be forwarded in the form of event messages to the vehicle which were selected in a preceding step. The devices can be identified by an identification or labeling known to the server as well as to the client.
In an embodiment, the planning system retrieves a corresponding list of identifications from the event management server. This retrieval can take place by taking into account a position specification or location specification. Such a retrieval may, for example, contain the current actual position as well as a desired radius, such as 10 kilometers. The event management server will then determine the devices which are situated within the defined region, for example, a circular area, and will forward a corresponding list with identifications.
In a preferred embodiment, the navigation system can supply the list of devices. The navigation system may, for example, include a memory, which is designed for storing a plurality identifications and positions of devices. These identifications and positions can be used for supplying the list for the selection of the relevant devices to the planning system. When the navigation system defines the route, a corresponding selection may also already take place by the navigation system, so that the planning system will receive an already preselected list. It is contemplated to implement the planning system as part of the navigation system.
The planning system can be designed for:
d) receiving an event message from an event management server;
e) processing the event message and, based on the event message, predicting a future event, particularly a state of change which is assigned to one of the selected devices; and
f) communicating the future event and, if applicable, a point in time of the occurrence of the future event to a driver assistance system.
An event message preferably relates to at least one event. A corresponding event may be the state of change of the device. The event may, for example, indicate that a signal transmitter, a signal group or a traffic light system has changed from a green phase to a red phase or from a red phase to a green phase. In an embodiment, the sending of an event message is triggered by a corresponding change of state. Furthermore, the event message may contain a future event, and may optionally contain the occurrence point in time or an estimation of the occurrence point in time of the future event. This additional information enables the vehicle to react to the future events. For example, a vehicle speed can be adapted, and/or a driver assistance system, such as a brake assistant, can be changed to a defined state, for example, a state with shorter monitoring cycles.
It is also contemplated to deactivate services on time which are offered, for example, only while the vehicle is stopped, based on information concerning the future event (the traffic light switches from red back to green). According to the invention, transitions of state of the vehicle can also be coupled to the current and/or future events. According to the invention it becomes possible, for example, to start the engine, in the case of an automatic start-stop system, already before the switching-over from a red phase to a green phase.
In an embodiment, the vehicle includes a driver assistance system. The driver assistance system can be a cruise control, which is designed for adapting a desired speed while taking into account the future event and/or the point in time of the occurrence of the future event. As an alternative or in addition, it is contemplated to indicate a corresponding desired speed so that it can be seen by the driver or to output it in another form.
The planning system can be designed for:                storing a client subscription list which indicates at least some of the subscribed devices and/or events;        receiving vehicle events, for example, with respect to a reached position and/or a new calculation a route; and        as a function of at least one vehicle event, sending a unselection message to the event management server in order to terminate a subscription of an event.        
According to the invention, not only a subscribing of defined events can take place but also a terminating of this subscription. This operation is preferably triggered by the planning system of the vehicle, to which the required information is available. In order to permit an effective setting-up as well as unselecting/canceling/deactivating of a subscription, at least some of the subscriptions are stored in a client subscription list. Depending on defined vehicle events, the planning system can then unselect a defined subscription. The events may be arbitrary events. The vehicle events may, for example, be a function of where the vehicle is located at the moment. It is therefore contemplated that, after driving through a traffic light system, corresponding events will no longer be relevant to the vehicle. Likewise, the vehicle event may be a driver's maneuvering. The driver may, for example, change into a different direction, so that certain events of certain devices will no longer be relevant. Likewise, a recalculation of the route may take place on the part of the navigation system, which has the result that certain events of certain devices will no longer be relevant. The availability of the client subscription list has the result that the existing communication paths can be utilized extremely efficiently.
The initially mentioned object is further achieved by a system having an event management server. The event management server can be designed for:
a) storing a list of identifications which relate to devices;
b) receiving subscription messages from a plurality of clients, particularly from vehicles, an identification of a device and a sender address being assigned to the subscription messages;
c) selecting devices based on the subscription messages and storing an assignment between the selected device and the respective sender address, for example, in a server subscription list;
d) acquiring at least one event that relates to one of the devices;
e) based on the stored assignments, selecting at least one client for the at least one event; and
f) sending at least one event message to the selected client.
Advantages are obtained that are similar to those described above in connection with the vehicle.
The system may include one or more of the above-described vehicles in one of the described embodiments.
Furthermore, the system may include a plurality of traffic light systems, signal groups and/or signal transmitters. In a preferred embodiment, a control is assigned to at least one traffic light system with several signal groups and/or at least one signal group, the control being designed for, in the event of a current transition of state, determining a point in time of a future, particularly inverse transition of state, and communicating the current transition of state and the point in time of the future transition of state. This information can preferably be communicated to the event management server, which forwards this information in an embodiment to at least one vehicle. Corresponding controls frequently have a deterministic control algorithm, which makes it possible to predict or determine future changes of state. This information may be relevant to the vehicle in order to be able to react to the event in time. In this case, it is contemplated that future events are taken into account on the part of the planning system in the respective vehicle. As an alternative, the planning system can wait until the predicted event has occurred or is occurring according to the predefined time. In this respect, an environment can be provided inside the vehicle which can react to events quasi in real time. In a preferred embodiment, at least some of the vehicles have clocks, which are synchronized with a clock of the event management server.
The system may further include a history database. This history database can monitor and record past transitions of state of individual devices. For example, states and dwell times in defined states can be stored. According to the invention, this information can be used for predicting future dwell times and transitions of states. In this respect, the system according to the invention can also provide information for traffic light systems, signal groups and/or signal transmitters which follow no deterministic algorithm. Likewise, the described mechanism can be used for making reliable predictions in cases in which the corresponding devices do not provide this information. As described above, the predicted events and transition points in time can be forwarded in corresponding event messages to one or more vehicles.
The initially described object is further achieved by a method for forwarding events. According to the method, the events can be forwarded to a plurality of vehicles. The above-described selective forwarding of events takes place by means of the described event messages. The vehicle may be a vehicle like the one described above.
The method permits the implementation of the steps of:
a) receiving at least one subscription message from at least one vehicle, an identification of a device and a sender address being assigned to the subscription message;
b) based on the subscription messages, selecting a device from a list of devices;
c) storing an assignment of the vehicle to the selected device;
d) acquiring events which concern some of the devices from the list;
e) based on the stored assignment, forwarding an event, which concerns the selected device, to the assigned vehicle.
Advantages similar to those described above in connection with the devices (system and/or vehicle) are also achieved with respect to the method.
Furthermore, the method may comprise the step of:
f) based on the stored assignment, forwarding data concerning a point in time of the occurrence of a future event to the assigned vehicle.
The initially mentioned object is further achieved by a machine-readable memory with instructions for the implementation of the described method. These instructions are preferably implemented on an arithmetic unit, and the corresponding effects are essential for the invention.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.